Pro Bowl pick a bright spot in the darkness

A bright spot in the darknessWith the Texans playing out a losing hand, Jerome Mathis' pick as a Pro Bowler gives the 2-12 team something to smile about

MEGAN MANFULL, Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Published 6:30 am, Thursday, December 22, 2005

Every time Jerome Mathis was approached by friends or teammates about the Pro Bowl this week, he brushed them off. He didn't want to get excited. He kept reminding himself that he's just a rookie.

No one in the league held it against the 22-year-old that he was a fourth-round pick out of Hampton, though. When the votes of players and coaches around the league were tabulated, it was clear that they looked strictly at his statistics.

Mathis was named the AFC's kick return specialist for the 2006 Pro Bowl in Honolulu on Feb. 12.

Coach Dom Capers made the announcement to the Texans after practice Wednesday, and it gave the players and coaches a rare opportunity to celebrate in the midst of a disappointing season.

"We are at 2-12 with not much going for us, but here we are with a bright spot on our team," special teams coach Joe Marciano said.

When healthy, Mathis, 5-11 and 182 pounds, has provided a constant highlight reel for the Texans. He leads the NFL in kickoff returns, averaging 29.8 yards, and has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

Mathis' 1,402 total kickoff return yards ranks him second in the league despite his absence in four games this season because of a hamstring injury.

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"Who else has returned two kicks (for TDs) this year? Nobody," cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "It's well deserved. Without those two kicks, it looks even worse when we played against Kansas City (45-17) and against Indy (38-20). He's definitely helped us."

Mathis becomes only the fourth Pro Bowler in the Texans' four-year history.

Mathis was the only Texan with a legitimate chance of making the Pro Bowl. With rookies rarely included, though, Mathis figured he might get passed over. He and San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman (a first-round pick) were the only rookies selected.

"I knew it was going to come down to the wire," Mathis said. "I believe it probably came down to me and (Kansas City's) Dante Hall. But it was the best man who won."

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Mathis joins Tyrone Hughes, a fifth-round pick in 1993 by New Orleans, and Johnny Johnson, a seventh-rounder in 1990 by Phoenix, as the only rookies since 1990 selected to the Pro Bowl after being drafted in the fourth round or later.

After the announcement, there was more buzz than ever in the Texans' locker room. Congratulations were showered upon Mathis. Teammates even requested autographs, reflect- ing how important the Pro Bowl invitation is to the players.

Some Tex- ans expect it to take awhile for the honor to sink in with Mathis.

"I'm sure right now he's overwhelmed," said Jonathan Wells, one of Mathis' lead blockers on returns. "To be a rookie and make the Pro Bowl, I'm sure he doesn't know what to do right now. Once he goes home and sits down with his family, it'll settle in on him."

Mathis has the second-highest single-season kick return average in the NFL dating to the 1996 season when Carolina's Michael Bates had a 30.2 average.

"It will be very fun and exciting to be out there just experiencing this in my first year in the NFL," Mathis said. "Hopefully there is plenty more to come."

Texans Summary

Lightning strikes twice

Texans special teams coach
Joe Marciano
has shown a knack for ushering unheralded rookies into the Pro Bowl.

Since 1990, Jerome Mathis is just the third rookie drafted in or after the fourth round to be selected for the Pro Bowl, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The two most recent — Mathis and Tyrone Hughes — were both return specialists coached by Marciano.

Hughes, a fifth-round pick in 1993, played in New Orleans when Marciano was the special teams coach.

'Tis better to give

The Texans teamed with
United Way
to celebrate Hometown Heroes during their festivities before Sunday's win over Arizona. They honored a number of volunteers.

The Texans are No. 1 in the Gulf Coast in terms of per capita giving to the United Way.